A new smaller and electric variant of the rugged Defender is reportedly being prepared behind closed doors at Land Rover. At a recent JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) investor conference, CEO Adrian Mardell confirmed that a new Defender model will come from the all-new EMA fully-electric platform.

The British car company recently announced a transformation plan for its Halewood facility, in which four new EVs will be built, including this new model called ‘Defender Sport’.

Details are scarce and unconfirmed, but sources at Autocar say that a new, smaller, electric Defender could join Land Rover’s compact SUV line-up by 2027. It will be part of the four new electric models to come out of the upgraded Halewood plant.

This doesn’t come as a surprise as the current Defender is one of JLR’s top money-maker, accounting for 76% of the group’s sales alongside the Range Rove and Range Rover Sport.

‘Defender Sport’

This new model could bear the name ‘Defender Sport’. It’s pretty logical regarding Land Rover’s naming policy, with the Discovery Sport being the little brother of the Discovery, and the same for the Range Rover Sport and Range Rover.

This also goes with the carmaker’s recent rebranding as a so-called ‘House of Brands’, leaving the older and 75-year-old Land Rover name for corporate only and using the three pillars of Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover for their models.

According to Autocar’s information, the new baby Defender will still be a rugged off-roader at heart. “It’s an explorer’s vehicle; it’s always pushed boundaries; it has always physically allowed you to do things no other vehicle can. It’s about that spirit of embracing the impossible, and it has been like that for 75 years,” JRL’s marketing director, Anthony Bradbury, told Autocar.

EMA from 2025, Defender EV from 2027

The new smaller Defender will sit on the group’s new EMA platform. This Electric Modular Architecture will be equipped with 800 V charging architecture capable of charging at high power, most likely up to 350 kW. Batteries will come out of Tata’s new UK-based plant and should have a higher energy density than those in the Jaguar I-Pace.

On that note, the whole JLR group will have three modular electrified platforms. Alongside the EMA above, the MLA platform sits under the recent Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, which accommodates electrified ICEs and fully electric variants. For its part, Jaguar will have the BEV-only JEA (Jaguar Electrified Architecture).

The first electric product from JLR should be a Range Rover EV by 2024, while the EMA platform should spawn a compact electric SUV by 2025. The electric baby Defender should see the light of day by 2027.